As computing devices have become less bulky, computing operations that used to require fixed computing equipment may increasingly be performed by mobile devices. For example, mainframe computers are no longer necessary for many tasks that may be accomplished using laptop or tablet devices. Mobile workers may prepare documents and presentations when travelling in trains, for example. Also email and calendar functions may be accomplished on the move, often facilitated by wireless communication networks.
Scientific computing, such as Monte Carlo simulation, was previously conducted exclusively in mainframe computers. Modern laptops, however, may provide sufficient computing capability to perform at least limited simulations sufficient for a number of applications, such as modelling radio paths and integrated circuits, for example. Simulation results obtained in a laptop device may be employed in documents likewise created on a laptop device, which may even be the same laptop device.
Control of industrial processes is a field where computing is performed in fixed computers, which may be located in premises of an industrial facility. Industrial processes include, for example, power generation in coal-fired, gas-fired or nuclear power plants, different chemical processes and sequences of programmable manufacturing robots, for example such as ones to be found in a highly automated automobile manufacturing facility.
Some tasks or processes are most relevant in a specific location. For example, upon arriving in a train station of a city travelers may find themselves facing similar challenges, such as obtaining currency, finding a connection to a different mode of transport, purchasing a map or obtaining a taxi. To meet demand for services relevant to a specific location, services may be optimized for specific locations, for example a coffee shop may provide a wireless hotspot for low-cost, or free, communication capability and internet connectivity. Customers can then interface with the hotspot with their portable devices, such a laptops, tablets, phablets, smartphones or cellular telephones, to obtain access to services they habitually use. Customers may also obtain access to services offered by the establishment, such as menus and other locally relevant information.